Delta exacts revenge against St. Vincent in own tourney title game

DELTA, Mo. -- When the Delta and St. Vincent girls basketball teams squared off Dec. 1, the game was at Perryville and the hosts came away with a comfortable 55-42 win.

The two squads met again Saturday in the championship game of the Delta New Year's Tournament, and about the only thing that resembled the previous meeting was that Delta wore blue and St. Vincent donned white.

The Bobcats took advantage of the hot shooting of senior guard Taylor Smith and the strong inside play of sophomore Tori Burton and seniors Courtney Burton and Kendra Burnett to beat the Indians 56-42.

Delta coach Mark Verticchio, whose team wore its road uniforms on its home court because it was the lower seed, said rebounding was the biggest difference for his team the second time against St. Vincent, which was the top seed.

Tori Burton, who grabbed seven rebounds, injured her ankle in the third quarter of the first meeting and didn't return.

Delta's Taylor Smith works around St. Vincent's Storm French during Saturday's championship game of the Delta New Year's Tournament. (LAURA SIMON)

"I felt like I was letting my teammates down," said Burton, who returned to the Bobcats lineup for the tournament after four weeks on the sidelines. "That gave me a little extra motivation this time."

Verticchio said Tori Burton's return has had a ripple effect on his team's play.

"When you lose your biggest player on a small team, the others have to compensate," the second-year coach said.

Tori Burton's return helped her teammates be more productive, Verticchio said.

"Tori, Kendra and Courtney all rebounded well," he said.

Delta's Bobcat hangs out on the sideline as the St. Vincent and Delta players shake hands after Saturday's game.

Not only did Delta rebound well, it controlled St. Vincent junior center Kali Wingerter, who scored 20 points in the earlier game. The Bobcats held Wingerter to eight in the rematch.

Smith made five 3-pointers en route to a 19-point performance, including three in the third period as Delta turned a four-point halftime lead into a 15-point bulge. St. Vincent's zone defense conceded the perimeter shot, and Smith made the Indians pay for it.

Smith said that while she enjoys shooting from the outside over zone coverage, she also likes penetrating man-to-man defenses off the dribble and either shooting or dishing off to an open teammate. She lets the opponent's defensive setup determine her style of offense.

"We see what the defense gives us and read it," Smith said.

St. Vincent started the game with a 7-0 run, but Delta regrouped and took its first lead with 4:14 left in the first period on a 3-pointer by Smith.

Delta's Machela VanGennip, left, races St. Vincent's Storm French down the court during their game Saturday at the Delta New Year's Tournament. (LAURA SIMON)

Delta junior Samantha Bartels had a layup off a steal to put her team up by five in the second quarter, then later buried a 3-pointer to give the Bobcats a 25-15 lead. Bartels hit another big 3-pointer later in the final minute of the half to stop a St. Vincent run that had cut Delta's lead to three.

Smith's hot hand in the third period was the big story as Delta took control of the game. The Bobcats led by as many as 19 in the fourth period.

Delta 14 16 16 10 -- 56

St. Vincent 13 13 5 11 -- 42

DELTA (56) -- Taylor Smith 19, Kendra Burnett 4, Machela VanGennip 11, Tori Burton 12, Samantha Bartels 8, Courtney Burton 2. FG 22, FT 5-10, F 5. (3-pointers: Smith 5, Bartels 2. Fouled out: none)

St. Vincent's Chelsie Boxdorfer, left, passes to Courtney Heberlie during Saturday's championship game at the Delta New Year's Tournament.

ST. VINCENT (42) -- Chelsie Boxdorfer 8, Courtney Heberlie 5, Liz Martin 2, Kayla Seabaugh 6, Storm French 2, Kelci Besand 4, Ashley L'Hote 4, Kali Wingerter 8, Courtney Gremaud 1. FG 18, FT 3-4, F 6. (3-pointers: Boxdorfer 2, Heberlie 1. Fouled out: none)